Honda's Small Hybrid Sports Concept was officially unveiled at the
Geneva motor show. Initial impressions of the concept in the metal are positive indeed and the styling direction that Honda has chosen to take with this eco-friendly vehicle did not go un-noticed at an already busy show.
The concept is draped in fluid body panels which accentuate the coupé's sporting nature. The curvaceous, flowing design - penned by designers at Honda's R&D Europe facility in Offenbach, Germany - contrasts with sharp 'folded' edges along the waistline and at each corner of the car. The flanks are also devoid of door mirrors, with rear-facing cameras employed to take their place.
At the front, thin LED headlamp strips are recessed into the pointed 'arrow-like' nose of the concept, positioned on either side of the prominent 'H' logo and at the top of the full width air intake. The long bonnet extends over a wide front track and seamlessly joins the windscreen.
The roof comprises of a single glass panel and leads down to the tapered rear end of the car. The flat rear end also features an integrated tail lamp strip running the width of the car, but is encased in a glass panel; a concave element that Honda calls "3D floating glass".
Massive 20-inch wheels mounted right in the corners generate an unmistakable stance, further accentuated by flared wheelarches and wide rear haunches. The coupé measures 4000mm in length, is 1270mm tall, 1760mm wide and has a 2350mm wheelbase. Short front and rear overhangs, compact dimensions, and a sports suspension promise to make the vehicle agile and fun to drive.
Under the alluring bodywork is Honda's latest hybrid technology, an IMA four-cylinder petrol-electric system which drives the front wheels through a CVT transmission. Equipped with 165/60 section tyres, the wheel size is claimed to support low rolling resistance without compromising sporty driving dynamics.
Honda's Small Hybrid Sports Concept looks like a winner on the revolving show stand, and we're told that a hybrid sports car with the concept's proportions will materialise in production form in 2009, priced between the Jazz and Civic models in the Honda range, but with a sporting bias. That car may be the replacement for the diminutive Insight hybrid that ceased production in 2006.
Eric Gallina - 14 Mar 2007